This Day in 1901 Archives: December

All stories from the
Buffalo Evening News, unless otherwise noted

December 1: Story 1 Pan-American
Exposition figures show that the total number of admissions from first
to last was 8,120,048. The number of paid admissions was 5,306,859. The
number of free admissions was 2,813,189... The foregoing figures are the
readings from the turnstiles and include Nov. 1 and 2, the two extra days,
and no others of later date.

It will be seen that the
proportion of free admissions ran to a little more than one-third of the
whole. There were several reasons for this fact. In the first place, the
attendance was about two-thirds what it would have been if the weather
had been good in May and if the assassination of the President had not
occurred...

In a word, the key to the
free admissions figures is in the fact of the large Midway, which had a
great number of attendants and of performers, and most of them were in
the habit of going in and out a great deal of the time. To these inhabitants
must be added the exhibitors and their help, made more numerous than ever
at this Exposition in proportion to its size. It is said that the workingmen's
passes up to the day of the dedication were numerous enough to take in
all their households and their cousins and their aunts besides...

Another element of magnitude
in the computation of passes is said to be the very large number sent out
to the press of the country and good for the season. It was expected that
these would be used and carried away but most of them stayed in the city
and were transferred to others than the original owners. It is due of the
officers and directors to say that their families did not have passes.
Director-General Buchanan's family paid every time one of them entered
the grounds. The same is true of Secretary Fleming's family and, the NEWS
is informed on the best authority, is true of the other officials.

How hard the assassination
of the President hit the Exposition from the standpoint of attendance may
be judged from the story of the paid admissions now first disclosed. The
first week in June had brought no more than 60,000. The next week showed
20,000 more, and then a gain of 23,000 on that until the first week in
July showed 168,000 and over. By the first week in August the figure had
risen to over 237,000 and the week including three days before the President
came to the city, showed an attendance of the paid description of 367,424.
In spite of two great days before the calamity befell the Nation, the next
week noted a falling off of 50,000 and the next week exhibited a further
shrinkage of 90,000 more. Even the great week that included Buffalo Day
with its immense attendance could not restore the figures that were common
before the fifth day of September. It is plain in the light of these figures
that the Exposition would have been a magnificent success in every way
but for the crowning sorrow that befell it when its troubles seemed wholly
over...

Story 2 Among
the best wheat exhibited in the Agriculture Building at the Pan-American
was that raised by Mrs. L.P. Ranous, who lives in North Dakota. Twenty-two
years ago Mrs. Ranous went West to recoup a fortune that she had lost.
She secured free claim and a homestead, and went to work to develop a farm.
How well she succeeded is seen in the fact that she recently refused $9000
for the claim, and that her wheat is known to be among the best in the
world. Her wheat received a grand World's Fair prize at the Paris Exposition.

December 2:
Ald. Butler submitted a resolution at the meeting of the board yesterday
which favored securing the Pan-American grounds as an addition to Buffalo's
Park system. The resolution was referred to the Committee on Public Grounds
which will hold a hearing on the subject Thursday evening at 7:30 o'clock.
All citizens are urged to be present.

The resolution is as follows:Whereas, it is the intention
of the Pan-American Exposition directors to tear down the various buildings
erected on the Exposition grounds, and restore the land occupied by the
Exposition to its former condition, andWhereas, the Exposition
has been of great benefit to the city of Buffalo, and incidentally has
added largely to the beauty of our park system to such an extent that we
believe it should be retained permanently,Resolved, That His Honor,
the Mayor be empowered to appoint a committee of five citizens, who in
conjunction with a committee from this Board and the Board of Councilmen,
to be appointed by the chairman of each body, shall take the matter up
and devise the necessary means for the preservation of the grounds as an
addition to the present park system.

December 3: Story
1 Sheriff Caldwell said this morning an attempt was made yesterday
to remove furniture from the Service Building at the Exposition, in spite
of the fact that he had levied on the entire building and its contents.
The levy was made some time ago to satisfy an execution secured by Timothy
McEvoy for more than $7000. McEvoy secured a judgment by default, and this
default subsequently was opened, but the levy still stands pending a determination
of the suit.

According to the Sheriff,
some men went to the Service Building which, together with the Manufactures
and Liberal Arts Building and the Machinery Building, was under the Sheriff's
levy, and attempted to carry away the contents. William McCarthy, a deputy
sheriff, was on guard in the building, and made an ineffectual attempt
to prevent them. When McCarthy saw he could do nothing he called the guards
from the other two buildings and, when it looked as if a free fight was
coming, peaceful counsel prevailed, and the would-be abductors of the furniture
departed. The Sheriff thinks the men tried to remove the furniture in the
interest of the Exposition Company.

Story 2 The postponed
Sheriff's sale of furniture belonging to the Pan-American Exposition Company
took place at their rooms in Ellicott Square this morning at 11 o'clock.

Two weeks ago papers were
served on the Exposition Company levying on furniture contained in rooms
734, 736, 740 and 742 Ellicott Square, to satisfy judgments in favor of
the Buffalo Paragon Wall Plaster Company for $484.23 and James E. Carroll,
$109.03.

Most of the furniture was
bid in by J.N. Adam. Several filing cabinets and three typewriters were
also sold which were not the property of the Exposition Company. The cabinets
had been leased from the Wabash Furniture Company, and the typewriters
had been loaned by the companies who made them for advertising purposes.

Bidding was quick and the
sale occupied about an hour.

December 4: Story
1 [Editorial from the Worcester Spy]Some people think the money
lost on the Exposition in Buffalo was a foolish expenditure. Is this true?
Wasn't the whole Exposition an advertising arrangement. An immense sum
of money, about $8,000,000, was expended on buildings which were to last
only a few months. Most of the expense was utterly destroyed at the end
of the Fair. Half of the income received by the managers of the Fair was
from exhibitors, or for “concessions,” and the other half from admissions.

The Fair would not have cost
any less to the American people, to the managers, to anybody, had the attendance
been double. The burden would simply have been shifted on different shoulders.
As a matter of fact, more money would have been spend had the attendance
been large enough to have paid for the entire expense of the Fair. The
amount of money paid to Exposition managers for admission to the grounds
by each visitor was a mere trifle, if compared with the sum he was obliged
to expend during his visit, not 10 percent probably, so that if $3,000,000
were received by admissions to the ground, no less than $30,000,000 were
spent by visitors in the city of Buffalo and with the various transportation
companies entering Buffalo during the season.

The Pan-American Exposition
was intended to advertise Pan-America and her resources and her products.
It has done so. Buffalo has had the largest share of the advertising. The
United States as a whole has been benefited from this advertising, and
the whole of North and South America has been benefited.

Those persons who do not
understand the art and value of advertising will be perplexed at the enormous
expenditure of money called for by this great Exposition. When one thinks
of the millions of dollars poured into the city of Buffalo it seems incredible
that there should be any wailing and gnashing of teeth over a final deficit
in the accounts of the Exposition. Buffalo could afford to spend these
millions under the circumstances.

We believe that the Exposition
has put Buffalo in a position to take a leading position among American
cities, the place to which it aspires, the place to which it is entitled
by natural advantages of position and accessibility to a great water power.
That Buffalo is destined to rank with Chicago and New York seems certain.

Story 2 No sooner
had Representative Alexander reached Washington than representatives of
the press began asking him on what ground Buffalo based its claim for governmental
aid in making up the Pan-American deficit. The following interview which
appeared in the Washington Post of this morning has been his answer to
all such inquiries:

“There would have been no
deficit had there been no tragedy. On the 6th day of September the indications
showed that the fair would be in every respect a financial success. The
attendance was reaching 70,000 or 80,000 a day. Boarding houses, hotels
and homes throughout the city were full of visitors. The managers of the
fair did not expect the largest attendance till September or October. The
closing months of the World's Fair were the great attendance months. The
same was true at Omaha, Philadelphia, Atlanta and other fairs.

“The speech of people throughout
the country showed that the great majority had delayed going to Buffalo
until the cooler months of September and October. The railroad rates, which
had been kept stiff during the height of summer travel had been lowered
more than 50 percent, in order to reach the people. Everything indicated
that the crowds would increase as the close of the fair approached.

“After the morning the President
was shot the prospects of the Fair were blasted. Within 24 hours hotels
and boarding and lodging houses were stripped of their guests. People who
had engaged rooms countermanded their orders. The first indication of returning
favor was on Governor's Day, Sept. 27, but the days following the attendance
dropped back. People did not want to go and would not go where the awful
tragedy had occurred.

“This is the reason why I
say that the Pan-American deficit is a part of the great tragedy. Had it
not occurred there could have been no deficit. On the 6th of September
the prospects could not have been better from every point of view. On the
evening of that day the prospects could not have been any worse from any
point of view. After that no special attractions, no amount of advertising
could bring back the large and happy crowds which had, up to that time,
characterized the attendance.”

December 5:
John N. Scatcherd and George Urban, Jr., returned from Washington yesterday,
whither they went last week to look over the land and learn what chances
there would be for getting an appropriation from Congress for the Pan-American
Exposition Company.

Chairman Scatcherd reported
that they had a talk with Senator Platt, who will introduce a bill appropriating
$1,000,000 for the Exposition's deficiency. Senator Depew was in Charleston.

“Senator Platt was in Washington
and we spent an hour with him on Sunday afternoon. We stated to him the
desire that the Government should grant an appropriation and asked him
what he thought of it, and what should be done. The Senator said that not
only was he in favor of it, but was most heartily in favor of it and that
he saw no reason why it should not pass. He told us to send along our bill
and he not only would support it, but would work earnestly for it. So the
bill will be sent. It will be introduced by one of New York's Senators
because it is a matter affecting this State rather than any other. Senator
Platt was most cordial and encouraging in his talk and we know that he
will do all in his power to aid us.

“After seeing Senator Platt
we called on Senator Hanna. We had a very pleasant chat with him. Senator
Hanna is heartily in favor of the appropriation and we may rely on his
friendship and support, for he is with us earnestly and sincerely. We did
not go to see the President or any others, as our mission was to see the
New York Senators. The bill will not be passed with a rush and all measures
carrying appropriations are liable to delays if not defeat, and the Charleston
Exposition probably will be over before the Buffalo Exposition measure
is out of Congress. “

The reference to Charleston
is obvious. That city started into the Exposition business with the certainty
of ultimate deficiency. It calculates upon Congress making it good.

President Milburn is planning
to go to Washington tomorrow night to take up the work where Messrs. Scatcherd
and Urban left off.

December 6: Story
1 Statuary at the Pan-American grounds is going for a song. Never since
the birds in Aristophanes drama entered into a conspiracy to intercept
the smoke of the sacrifices ascending to Olympus, compelling Mercury to
come down and offer his services as kitchen-scullion, have gods and goddesses
been held so cheap.

For $2 one can buy any of
the plaster representations of the mythological High-Mightinesses. Two
silver “Cart-Wheels” will buy Venus, Pallas Athene, Zeus, Hermens, Satyr
and child, Bacchante with tambourine or discus-thrower with a serviceable
discus.

Those desirous of purchasing
art upon a larger scale can have their pick of any group in the grounds
for $5. For five greenbacks one can buy the group of the Fountain of Nature,
or the group of the Fountain of Abundance, or Proctor's “Agriculture” or
“Manufacturers” or the group of the Fountain of Main in front of the Government
Building. A single “V” entitles the would-be purchaser to a choice of the
“Age of Enlightenment,” “The Savage Age,” “The Despotic Age,” “Floral Wealth,”
“Mineral Wealth,” “Animal Wealth”, or the “Resting Buffalos” in the Fore
Court and sunken gardens.

Every bit of sculpture
is for sale except those attached to the building. Five dollars is the
highest price asked and $1 the lowest.

The only obstacle to quick
sales of Exposition art is the cost of moving it. A New Yorker wanted the
figure of Nature on the fountain before the Horticulture Building until
he found it would cost $75 to move it. The he didn't care as much for it.
The big lions of the Plaza cost only $2, but it costs nearly $50 to land
them in cars.

The vases on the grounds
are offered at equally low prices, $2 each for the larger and $1 for the
smaller, but they are also expensive to send out of town.

Supt. Emerson has accepted
the invitation extended to the public schools to help themselves to Exposition
statuary and has reserved six Hercules with clubs and the seated Hermes
of the sunken gardens, the Discus thrower, Minerva, Apollo Belvedere, the
Football Player near the Temple of Ethnology, the Friezes on the Triumphal
Bridge, four of the Winged Women from the pillars of the Approach to the
Bridge and various others.

The Fine Arts Academy has
contented itself with accepting the casts for some of the groups.

All exhibits are moved out
except a few pieces of heavy machinery in the Machinery and Electricity
buildings and ordnance in the Government building.

The Midway is rapidly becoming
as Baalbek. “Darkness and Dawn” is being wrecked by Peter Stover. International
Hall is being pulled down by A. R. Barber. McHall & Co. of Kane, Pa.,
are tearing down Pabst's.

A.R. Downey is wrecking the
National Glass Factory, and Phillip Day the Old Plantation. The Beautiful
Orient is going down in sections. All that is left of the Scenic Railway
is the dark passage called the Sewer Trip. Venice in America, Esau's Mansion,
the Temple of Palmistry and the Indian Congress are all in ruins.

Story 2 J.N.
Adam and Capt. M.M. Drake were the only speakers who appeared last night
when Ald. Butler's resolution in favor of devising means of buying the
Pan-American grounds as an additional to the park system was considered
by the Committee on Public Grounds. W.W.Saperston, Frank Rumsey and others
were present but said nothing.

Mr. Adams did not believe
it expedient to buy the entire site but thought sufficient land could be
bought to beautify the vicinity of the Historical Society Building and
he suggested that a strip from the Triumphal Causeway extending west to
the limits of the Pan-American grounds and south to the park lands would
be an excellent acquisition. Without, however, making a direct argument
in favor of the suggestion he quoted some figures to substantiate his contention
that the bonded indebtedness of Buffalo is not the bogie it is credited
with being...

In conclusion, Mr. Adam said
he thought our parks were too fine. They were rich men's parks rather than
playgrounds for the poor people. He thought the expensive botanical gardens
in South Park were not as satisfactory as if that park had been left in
a more natural condition.

Capt. Drake said Buffalo
has sufficient parks for the present, and what Buffalo needs most is a
tax rate that will attract factories. “We have every thing except a low
tax rate, and money is better spent in improving the harbor and bridges,”
he said.

Another meeting, also public,
will be held next Thursday night. Ald. Butler said he desired, if possible,
to get the city to buy the entire site, for he thinks it can be had at
bargain prices in view of the fact that the owners would have to restore
their lands to their original condition before selling while, at present,
they are suitable for park purposes. He believes if the Electric Tower
and Temple of Music are preserved they will attract visitors to Buffalo.

December 7: Story 1
The transfer of the New York State Building to the custody and uses of
the Buffalo Historical Society will be consummated on the 21st of the month.
The date was set at the meeting of the board of managers of the New York
State exhibits at its meeting in the D.S. Morgan building this noon. There
were present Chairman Hon. Daniel N. Lockwood, Hon. Andrew S. Hamersley
of New York, Hon. John T. Mott of Oswego, Hon. N.V.V. Franchot of Olean
and Postmaster Fred Greiner.

The commissioners passed
a resolution designating the day when the board would present to the Historical
Society a parchment scroll, forever relinquishing all right, title and
interest in the marble palace on the shore of the North Bay.

The commissioners also distributed
the $5000 set aside by the board to be divided among the exhibitors of
the State who received awards for livestock. In this distribution the lowest
award was 63 cents, going to Will T. Reed of Cherry Creek, and the largest
was $305.40 to F. C. Stevens of Attica. C.J. and Harry Hamlin received
$261.50, and Levi P. Morton $109.75. There were 129 exhibitors among whom
the $5000 was divided.

The board will meet once
more, probably in January, at Albany, to hear the final report. Its existence
ends by act of the Legislature on Feb. 1.

The board has at its disposal
about $100,000, being part of its appropriation which has been unexpended.
The officials of the Pan-American Exposition have intimated to the commissioners
their plain conviction that the money should be turned over to the Exposition
instead of being turned back into the State Treasury. Their idea is that
the money was appropriated to be spent and that the Exposition is in a
position where it could spend it to great advantage.

The board, however, frowned
coldly on the proposition today. The members don't believe that the New
York board is under any more obligation to turn over its balance to the
Exposition than, say, the Michigan Commission, which turned over its balance
into the State Treasury.

The New York board paid several
bills for the Exposition, namely, bills for advertising, bill-posting and
bands for the closing days of the enterprise. The members decided they
have done all that they could be expected to do, and more than they were
required to do, and concluded to do no more.

Story 2 The doors
of the branch department of the customs house at the Pan-American Exposition
were closed last night. At that time the last foreign exhibit or decorative
material had been disposed of, leaving the work of the department concluded.

The record of clearing all
foreign entries within the period of 30 days after the close of the Exposition
was never achieved at any previous exposition. It speaks volumes for Bruce
Ellis, the former superintendent of freight at the Exposition, that he
has been able to accomplish this, and the achievement earned for him a
fine congratulatory letter from Collector Brendel.

Ever since the close of the
Exposition the hardest work at the grounds was connected with the removal
of the foreign exhibits. It will be recollected that all the foreign exhibits
were admitted free of duty with the distinct understanding that they must
be returned to the original place of shipment after the Exposition. If
not so returned, they must either be stored in a warehouse in bond or the
equivalent of the duty upon them must be paid in stamps. In the case of
the foreign exhibits at the Exposition, a large number were sent to Charleston,
some to the Philadelphia Commercial Museum and the rest scattered. Those
sent home had to be bonded, those sent to Charleston and Philadelphia had
to be re-bonded, and stamps paid for the strayed ones.

The Fine Arts exhibits caused
the most work for Bruce Ellis and his staff. Many of the exhibits that
came from Paris in a lot were broken up, but at the end of the Exposition
they went in a dozen different directions. However, the majority were returned
to Paris. The last painting and piece of sculpture were removed from the
temporary Fine Arts building at the grounds yesterday.

December 8:
A bronze tablet now marks the spot where the body of William McKinley lay
in State in this city in the lower corridor of the City and County Hall.
The tablet was put in place Saturday night by its designer, E. L. Pansch
of Hartford, Conn., assisted by mechanics from the Crawford Monument Works
of this city and witnessed by Henry V. Bisgood, trustee of the City and
County Hall, Supt. W.F. Fisher, and John Hottinger of the City Hall force.

The tablet is sunk into the
marble floor and takes the place of one of the marble slabs that was removed.
It is 24 inches long, 14 inches wide and two inches thick. It weighs 102
1/2 pounds and cost $185. It was made by the Paul Copperette Bronze Company
of New York City.

The inscription on it is
as follows:Here Lay In StateThe Body ofWilliam McKinley,President of theUnited States,Sept. 15, 1901.

Forty-five stars form the
border of the tablet and the letters are cut into the bronze to the dept
of three-eighths of an inch. In this way it was possible to fill in the
letters with black enamel, making a striking contrast to the brightly burnished
copper. In his statement to the press regarding the tablet, Supt. Fisher
makes this request:“The public is respectfully
requested not to walk over the tablet, not that any injury would result,
but out of respect for the man whose memory the tablet perpetuates.”

To prevent anyone from doing
so today a chair was placed in front of the tablet.

December 9:
Confusion still confounds the financial counsels of the Pan-American Exposition
Company. The conveyance of the Exposition buildings to their purchaser,
the Chicago House Wrecking Company, still continues blocked by the crowd
of creditors struggling to get a slice of the purchase price, $93,000.

The Rumseys want $50,000
of it under the agreement to set aside that amount in lieu of restoring
the grounds. The claimants under the liens want $88,000 of it to satisfy
their claims. The construction creditors want five times that amount but
would like the $93,000 for spending money while waiting for the rest. And
now George V. Forman, the trustee of the first mortgage bondholders, steps
forward and quietly announces that there is no use of anybody else reaching
for it as he intended to take the $93,000 for his clients, the first mortgage
bondholders.

He claims that the bondholders'
mortgage covers everything connected with the Exposition, gate receipts,
receipts from concessions and the very buildings, and not until the $175,000
still due is paid up will there be anything in sight for the other creditors.

The attitude of the first
mortgage bondholders excites indignation among the construction creditors.
The men who built the Exposition, who gave their time upward of two years,
besides drawing upon their capital in the bank to pay their help and for
materials, in many instances giving notes in the expectation of receiving
their pay from the Exposition, and thereby forcing bankruptcy, believe
that no matter what the legal aspects of the case may be, their claims
are morally prior to those of men who merely invested money as a speculation.
They will resist to the last ditch the proposition to let the bondholders
take the last asset in sight, the $93,000, and let the “men behind the
guns” wait for the Congressional appropriation.

What steps are being taken
to soothe these clashing interests Robert F. Schelling only can tell, but
he refuses to talk about it. He regards the financial woes of the Exposition
Company as too sacred a subject of discussion in the newspapers.

December 10: 'William
McCarthy, assistant emissary of Sheriff Caldwell, was passing the time
away in the Service Building of the Exposition at dusk Saturday evening
with other representatives of the Sheriff's office to see that those having
access to the grounds carry off nothing more than a jaunty air. Those associated
with Deputy McCarthy in the watch and ward are W.D. Thayer, who has chief
charge, John F. Monner, Walter Dubey, William D. Smith, John N. Ryan, John
H. Smith, Edward Baltz, Charles Hehr, Peter Bapst, Lawrence Jamison, John
Schwamm and Thomas Chilcott.

These deputies have been
detailed by Sheriff Caldwell to protect the interests of Timothy McEvoy
& Son and other Exposition creditors who have placed liens upon the
buildings and their contents.

Incidentally the deputies
are required to look out for fires. Every light is out within the grounds,
every policeman is withdrawn, and the only water pipe within the fence
that could be tapped could be sucked dry within 10 minutes by one engine.
This combination of circumstances is recognized as fraught with the most
appalling possibilities, and the deputies are instructed to patrol the
grounds by day and night. Each man is supplied with a card showing the
location of the nearest fire alarm boxes.

Hereafter nobody will be
allowed upon the grounds after 5 o'clock in the evening and before 7:30
o'clock in the morning. Nobody is allowed to enter on Sundays. Six of the
deputies are upon duty by day and eight by night to see that these rules
are enforced.

Aside from the buildings
there is nothing to guard. Only the Brazilian and Chilean exhibits remain
to be removed, and the latter will be cleared out by Wednesday. The Brazilian
[exhibits] are in the custody of the Sheriff, pending the settlement of
certain little carting bills.

Joseph Keener and John Rothballer,
two other emissaries of the Sheriff, are in charge of the Infant Incubator.

The Exposition presents the
most dismal appearance befitting these lien days. The colors of the buildings
are faded and weather beaten until they resemble the estate of a striped
stick of candy in a nursery two weeks after Christmas. Ice has formed in
the Sunken Gardens of the Esplanade and Ceres and Chronos are doing a cakewalk
upon that before the Horticulture Building. Most of the smaller pieces
of sculpture have been carried off, and that remaining which survived vandals
looks sadly in need of draperies in the wintry air.

A remarkable echo has taken
up its abode in the grounds since they have become desolated. It can be
heard to best advantage from the Triumphal Bridge. One of the Exposition
creditors learned this fact yesterday afternoon. Standing between the pylons
and facing the Tower, he shouted, “I want my money.”

In a moment the cry was taken
up by every building about the Tower, and “Money! Money! Money! Money!”
came back to the expectant creditor. He listened with grim pleasure and
then remarked, “That's the first time money ever came back to a man that
quick inside of the grounds.”

Sheriff Caldwell said to
a NEWS reporter yesterday: “I am just now on my way out to the Exposition
grounds to make my daily visit to the property that has come under my charge.
Of course, you understand that when a seizure is made by a sheriff he is
held responsible for whatever property he may levy on, and this case is
no different from any other. Supt. Bull telephoned me yesterday that he
would withdraw all his men from the grounds today, so I have a force of
19 men, all told, at the grounds today, and will maintain a force sufficient
to protect the property until such time as the courts set. Not a stick
or any other article can be taken away from the grounds until an order
is obtained from me personally, and then only at the direction of the court.

“The amount of the various
claims cannot be ascertained just now, for the force in my office have
not as yet added up the judgments.

“The public is now excluded
from the grounds. No visitors whatever are allowed inside the fence. I
am visiting the grounds every day, and will continue to do so until I know
that everything is settled...”

December 12:
Story 1 The South Park District Taxpayers Association held a meeting
last evening at which several subjects were considered. A committee was
appointed to inquire into the cost of electricity in other cities, as it
is feared that manufacturers are kept away from Buffalo by the charges
for light and power in this city.

The proposition to have the
city take over part of the Pan-American grounds as an addition to the Park
system was denounced. It was held that no more parks should be acquired
until the city could properly care for what it has. A discussion was held
concerning the removal of the piles under the bridge crossing Cazenovia
Creek at South Park avenue. It was said that they caused the water to back
up and added to the miseries attendant on floods in that vicinity.

Story 2 At a meeting
of the board of directors of the Pan-American Exposition this afternoon
the diplomas to which successful exhibitors are entitled were ordered printed.
They will cost about $3000, and the directors will pay for them out of
their own pockets if necessary.

Secretary Fleming tendered
his resignation, but will give the board his services gratuitously as long
as the same may be needed. Director of Works Carlton announced his willingness
to serve hereafter without pay.

The directors would be pleased
if the New York State Commission would hand over to them the surplus it
has on hand, which amounts to about $100,000, but the New York State Commission
say the money belongs to the State and that if the Exposition directors
want it they must apply to the State for it.

December 12:
It is up to the Exposition creditors to fight over the proceeds of the
sale of the buildings. The company itself will cheerfully pay the $93,000
into court and let the tribunals of justice say where he money shall go
finally.

There are four kinds of claimants:
the first mortgage bondholders, the second mortgage bondholders, the Rumseys,
who own the land, and the lien holders. The bondholders stand on the proposition
that the bonds take precedence over everything, but the lien holders are
advised that the bonds cover only gate receipts and are not a lien on the
buildings. That is one point of dispute. Again the landowners are reported
to insist that their lien precedes the lien of the mortgages and, if that
is not true, then their claim is next to the bonds. Still further, the
lienors insist that their claims come under the description of operating
expenses and thus are preferred to anything else.

The situation, then, is simply
that a first-class lawsuit is in sight. It appears that the persons most
inclined to fight over the bone are the lienors. The first thing to be
done is to get the money for the buildings in hand and deposited somewhere
to await the disposition of the conflicting claims. Shire & Jelinek,
representing the largest number of lienors, are said to be determined to
accept no junior place in the procession, but will go to the courts in
an endeavor to stand at the head of the line when the distribution is made.

December 13:
[Editorial] Is Buffalo to do anything to honor the memory of William
McKinley?

The question is asked everywhere.
Three months have passed since the President died in this city. Nothing
has been done to carry into practical effect the impulses of the people
among whom he died. A few have contributed a little fund for that purpose,
that is all. In the national capital and throughout the country the erection
of a great monument is going forward prosperously, but Buffalo, the city
in which he was assassinated and which he honored with his last and noblest
utterance, is doing nothing.

What is proposed is that
the city and the associations directly concerned in the proposal to beautify
the city shall join hands and redeem neglected Niagara Square and place
in its center a statue of President McKinley. If this matter can be arranged,
the NEWS believes contributions will be made which will meet all the expense,
except that to be incurred by the park department as custodian of the Square
in improving that piece of ground as it has planned to do a score of times
in as many years. One Buffalo man authorizes the NEWS to say he will give
five hundred dollars to such a work as his check is in hand.

It is thought that most or
all of those who sent contributions to the NEWS for a memorial two months
ago will approve the proposal to erect a monument in Niagara Square. With
that fund and the later contributions as a nucleus no doubt much more could
be gathered from the other sources indicated. The Society for Beautifying
Buffalo could find no better field for their effort than Niagara Square.
The Woman's Union fronting the Square has much at stake in its redemption
from bare asphalt and mangy turf. That public spirited body under the wise
and energetic leadership of Mrs. George W. Townsend, its president, could
greatly promote such an enterprise. The historic site, full of memories
of the stirring scenes in the history of Buffalo, the dwelling place of
one of Buffalo's Presidents of the United States, whose dwelling is now
the picturesque Castle Inn, is worth the effort. Its importance as the
central link in the chain of parks is fully appreciated by the Park Department.
Its position as the gateway to the most beautiful portion of Buffalo through
beautiful Delaware Avenue should strongly interest the local organizations...

December 14:
[Editorial] “The killing of President McKinley wrecked the Pan-American
Exposition financially, says the BUFFALO NEWS, and therefore Congress ought
to appropriate $1,000,000 to help meet the deficiency. This is shockingly
business-like. Can't the appeal to Congress be based on something more
idealistic, such as patriotic spirit?” Albany Argus.

The necessity which prompts
the appeal is itself “shockingly businesslike.” The contractors and others
to whom the Exposition is indebted need the money and should have it -
would have it but for the calamity which all the world deplored for its
own sake, thinking of no secondary calamities.

Buffalo does not ask this
relief as a matter of business or as a right at all, but as an expression
of the patriotic spirit the Argus would have us invoke. The Exposition
was in a very important sense a national enterprise. More was put into
it for national pride than could possibly come out of it except under most
favorable conditions, which no one could guarantee. Every drawback of storms,
strikes, bad weather, prejudice roused by reports of high charges here
and on the railroads, was patiently endured. The Exposition wore a smiling
face and kept all its promises whatever went wrong. The tragedy of September
6 necessarily affected the Exposition more than all its own misfortunes,
but Buffalo doesn't tally up that loss and claim Congress must make it
good. Our people had praise from one end of the country to the other for
their care of their President and those near to him when he lay dying
here. It is ungenerous to hint now that “business-like” view of that painful
event was held here. Buffalo loved and mourned the good man and there was
no second consciousness in the sorrow manifested when he was brought to
death in our city. All we say to Congress now is: a calamity unforeseen
and unforeseeable ruined the Exposition. Help us all you can to pay our
honest debts, incurred in making an Exposition which the whole country
is proud of and with good reason.

December 15:
Mayor Diehl, through the NEWS last Sunday, gave voice to an opinion which
is no doubt concurred in by a vast majority of the citizens of Buffalo,
and that is that the magnificent Electric Tower, which was the chief glory
of the Pan-American Exposition, should be preserved and placed at the Front,
not alone as a memorial of Buffalo's greatest fair, but as a never-ending
source of delight to all beholders.

But if that is to be accomplished,
something must be done and that quickly. The Sheriff's sale of the Exposition
buildings is scheduled for next Friday and there is danger that some speculator
will bid in and destroy the tower for what steel and other materials there
are in it.

When the Mayor's attention
was called to this fact today, he said,

“My proposition was that
some philanthropist or public spirited citizen should buy the tower and
present it to the city, as an attraction both for residents and for visitors.
One thing that Buffalo has not and which other cities like New York and
Boston which are situated on a waterfront have is a place where they can
go during the heated term, take dinner or luncheon and enjoy the cool breezes
that come from the water. It the tower were erected at the Front and a
restaurant located therein, this advantage would be supplied.”

But if no individual comes
forward, would it not be well for the city to bid it in? was asked.

“I don't care how the tower
is acquired,” said the Mayor. “It would be a good investment for the future.
The tower cost $200,000 and it could no doubt be picked up for a song.
The opportunity is one which should not be neglected. “

If it would be a good investment
for an individual, would it not be a good one for the city?

“Yes, in my opinion it would,
“ said the Mayor. “The restaurant privilege would pay for the interest
on the investment and in time would wipe out the cost of the tower.”

What course would be necessary
for the city to acquire the Electric Tower?

“An appropriation would have
to be made by the Common Council and bonds issued. But there is no time
for that now. Some public-spirited citizen should bid on the Tower at the
sale and if he could not afford to give it to the city, then let him sell
it to the city for what it cost him. I understand that the framework of
the Tower is not riveted, but bolted together so that it could easily be
taken apart. The material in the structure is worth more than it would
cost and the buyer would thus be protected from loss.

“If I had the money,” said
the Mayor, “I would like to buy the tower and give it to the city.”

It has also been suggested
that it would be a profitable stroke of business for the city to buy the
splendid dome of the Government Building. It contains thousands of tons
of steel which would cost but little and which could be put to good
use by the city in some of its future public structures.

December 16:
In view of the wide discussion incidental to the question of who should
pay the physicians who attended President McKinley, Dr. Matthew D. Mann
consented to make a statement to the NEWS today, setting forth the attitude
of himself and his associates.

Dr. Mann, in reply to questions
by a NEWS reporter, said:

“We feel that we operated
on the President of the United States, that we operated for the American
people with a view to saving their President for them, that we were called
not by the family of President McKinley, but by the authorities, the Cabinet
and others, to take charge of the President, and we feel, therefore, that
we have a right to look to Congress and the nation for our remuneration.

“We took a tremendous responsibility
because we took in our hands the life of the most prominent man in the
world, and we feel that in taking such a responsibility we ran a immense
risk. Had the autopsy showed that we made any serious mistake, we would
have received unlimited condemnation - we might even have been ruined professionally.

“From all these facts we
feel that we should not be called upon to render bills to the family. Any
bill which we might render to the late President's estate would be larger
than the Mrs. McKinley should be called upon to pay. If we should render
such a bill as she could properly pay, we should fee that we would be very
imperfectly remunerated.

“We feel, therefore, that
Congress should take up the matter and make an appropriation such as it
may see fit and save us from becoming the objects of criticism by sending
a bill. For no matter what bill we might send in, we would receive a certain
amount of abuse. We feel also that the dignity of the medical profession
demands that Congress should pay this bill, and the services should be
handsomely rewarded. The medical profession all over the world is waiting
with great interest to see how this affair will turn out, and we do not
propose to do anything, if we can avoid it, which will lay us open to criticism.
“

December 17:
It is not known what part the Pan-American Exposition officials intend
to take in the proposed sale of the Exposition buildings by Sheriff Caldwell
on Friday. It is believed that some action will be taken, the precise nature
of it being a matter that Robert F. Schelling believes worthy of being
kept up his sleeve until he is ready to flash it.

The Board of Directors and
Executive Committee have had no consultation in regard to the matter. This
is a tribute to Mr. Schelling as indicating their estimate of his ability
to manage things. President Milburn is in New York but will return to Buffalo
tomorrow. This is regarded as a sign of his intention to have something
to say about the sale.

“It is all a game of lawyers,
“ said a prominent Exposition official this morning to a NEWS reporter,
referring to the existing financial complications connected to the Exposition
affairs. “First one side will make a move then the other will make a play,
and then a third will come in. It is a long way yet from the end of the
game, and none may yet boast himself a winner in it.”

The Sheriff expects to sell
the buildings. He believes that a purchaser will be on hand who will buy
the pinnacled structures at a bargain, and pay into the hands of the Sheriff
cash for the same, which the Sheriff expects to turn into the hands of
the judgment creditors and lien holders.

Some lawyers support the
Sheriff's attitude. They maintain that the Exposition buildings are more
in the nature of personal property than realty because of their movable
character and, as such, are not protected by the mortgage of the bondholders.
The mortgage should have included the personal property of the Exposition
Company to be impregnable, is their contention.

On the other hand, many maintain
that the Sheriff will be able to sell only the equity of the McEvoys in
the buildings at Friday's sale, and that the best a purchaser can get is
a right to share in the proceeds when the buildings are eventually sold
by the Exposition Company or by the trustee of the first mortgage bondholders,
George V. Forman. Treasurer Harris of the Chicago House Wrecking Company
has adopted this view, and state that he will not bid at the Sheriff's
sale on the ground that he is more anxious to get rid of equities in the
buildings than to acquire more of them. Attorneys for the other creditors
take the same view.

December 18:
Robert R. Schelling, attorney for the Pan-American Exposition, states positively
that there will be no Sheriff's sale of the Exposition buildings. Moreover,
he characterizes the Sheriff's notices of sale as Simon-pure bluff. So
lightly does he regard the possibilities in the Sheriff's power that he
states the Exposition authorities will not take any part in the proceedings
on the score that the Sheriff can't do any harm in his attempt to sell.

A NEWS reporter found Mr.
Schelling in his office and asked him to give a concise statement of the
Exposition Company's attitude toward the Sheriff and his announced intention
to sell the buildings. It is characteristic of Mr. Schelling that he lifts
his hat ever time the Exposition is mentioned and expects everybody to
do likewise. He believes the maxim, “De mortuis nil nist bonum - Speak
nothing but good of the dead” should be applied to Pan-American affairs,
and he resents any attempt to enlighten the public about it as inexpedient.
Accordingly an interview with him is much like pulling teeth.

“Will the Exposition Company
take any steps to prevent the sale tomorrow?”

“There won't be any sale,”
was the reply.

“How is that?”

“Because there is nothing
to sell. There never has been any talk of selling except in the newspapers.”

“But those Sheriff's notices
on the walls and doors of the Exposition and elsewhere? “

“Oh, that is only a bluff.”

“Will you kindly state just
what the situation is?”

“No, I decline to be interviewed.”

And with this Mr. Schelling
turned to his work with every line of his frame expressing disgust.

“The sale is on unless something
happens during the day. The notices are and will be carried out,” said
Sheriff Caldwell this noon when he was asked about his plans for tomorrow
in regard to selling Exposition buildings under the hammer.

“Do you expect anything in
particular to happen today to prevent it?”

“As to that I can't say.
In this game anything is liable to happen any minute.”

“What was the subject of
your conference with Mr. Schelling yesterday?”

“I can't tell you definitely.
He asked me to do something that I couldn't do under my oath of office.
I told him to get a court order and then I could oblige him.”

The Sheriff was urged to
be a little more explicit but refused.

“That is all I can tell you
now. As to what move the other side will make next I can't divulge what
I expect because they might not do it, but I think they will do something.”

Negotiations to stop the
sale have been in progress during the day. Robert F. Schelling and Seward
A. Simons held a conference with Under-Sheriff Hatch this morning, Sheriff
Caldwell being in charge of a jury.

No definite conclusion was
reached, and no arrangement made positively, but negotiations were advanced
so far that the Under-Sheriff informed Ansley Wilcox that there would probably
be no sale tomorrow and that if there were, he would notify him.

“Will you take any action
to prevent the sale in behalf of the interests of your clients, Messrs.
B.C. and D.P. Rumsey?” Mr. Wilcox was asked.

“It doesn't look now as if
there would be any sale, but if there should be an attempt at one, I will
be on hand to see that the interest of my clients are protected,” Mr. Wilcox
said.

December 19:
“Niagara Square seems to me a fit place for portrait statuary, as the NEWS
suggests,” said Charles W. Goodyear, president of the Delaware Avenue Improvement
Association, to a NEWS reporter today. “But I am not in accord with the
NEWS in its suggestion of having a statue of Mr. McKinley put there. My
choice is for Millard Fillmore or Joseph Ellicott. I speak of these by
way of example and not as conclusive against all others. What I mean to
convey is the idea that Buffalo should honor her own illustrious dead before
undertaking to do the honors for the dead of other places, however famous
the subject.

“Canton, you will observe,
is honoring her own dead and all the rest of the country is paying for
it. I do not speak of this in the way of criticism or disparagement. It
is proper for Buffalo to subscribe for that purpose, but when you come
to putting up monuments to endure endlessly, it seems to me that this city
is too rich in men of distinction, and the country on this frontier too
highly deserving of the commemoration of its historic figures to have its
turn postponed to a later time than is compelled by our own circumstances.
I would rather see nothing done to adorn the Square until we can do the
right thing, or what I regard as the right thing.

“I am sure that too much
pains cannot be taken to educate the young to patriotism, and while I appreciate
the value of such a life as that of the late President, I am still of the
opinion that history lessons are most effectually taught by showing the
significance and importance of the things that our own ancestors and neighbors
have done, and how our community is united to the State and Nation, through
the valor, or statesmanship, or generosity or public spirit of our own
citizens.”

December 20:
Story 1 It was reported at the Park Department this morning that
there is good skating at Humboldt Park, also at Delaware Park. Local skaters
feared no skating would be permitted this year in Delaware Park, but Secretary
Selkirk said this is not so. He says the Park Commissioners are entirely
wiling to let people skate there and it is understood the Pan-American
officials have no objections and will allow people to enter the grounds
which are still enclosed by the Exposition fence.

Story 2 [Letter to
the Editor] Will you kindly ask in “Everybody's Column” if someone having
kodak pictures of the Pan-American and Buffalo would exchange prints of
some for New York, Philadelphia and Atlantic City views?Mrs. G.E.M. Buffalo

December 21: Story
1 Coroner Boiler this morning went out to the Pan-American Exposition
grounds to replevin $5000 worth of copper wire which was seized by Sheriff
Caldwell of Erie County with other property at the Exposition grounds about
a week ago. This wire was used in lighting the buildings and Sheriff Caldwell
had allowed it to be removed from the buildings but not taken from the
grounds.

The copper wire is owned
by the Safety Insulated Wire and Cable Company, and was leased to the Pan-American
Exposition Company for the their use. It was not the property of the Exposition
Company. The Safety Insulated Wire and Cable Company, through their representative
Orlando Monroe, have engaged attorneys Wheeler & Sons to look after
their interests.

Story 2
Rogers, Locke & Milburn, as attorneys for the American Bridge Company,
have performed the remarkable feat of discovering something at the Pan-American
grounds that the Sheriff can't seize or sell and Under-Sheriff hatch admitted
the fact this morning when the following self-explanatory notice was served
upon him for Sheriff Caldwell:

“In behalf of the American
Bridge Company we hereby forbid you from selling or disposing in any way
whatsoever of the frame work or roof of two buildings upon the grounds
of the Pan-American Exposition Company in the city of Buffalo, known as
the Ordnance Buildings, under any attachments or executions which may exist
against and other persons or corporations except the said American Bridge
Company, the entire frame work and roof of the said two ordnance buildings
being the property of the said American Bridge Company.”

“No, we can't seize or sell
those buildings,” remarked Mr. Hatch with a rather sad tone in his voice.

December 22:
“Whether the bondholders shall take the proceeds of the sale of the buildings
of the Exposition Company, and by that I mean the $93,000 agreed to be
paid for them by the Chicago Wrecking Company, depends on how the claimants
act,” said Mr. George V. Forman, representing the first mortgage bonds
as trustee.

“In the first place there
is not the slightest doubt that the first mortgage bonds precede every
other claim. That is plain as words can make a contract. If, then, the
money for the buildings comes quick I may be inclined to be generous to
the unprotected lien holders. But if there is a lot of trouble and fighting,
injunctions and orders and defenses, it will be a different thing altogether.
The talk about there being a tangle in the affairs of the Exposition as
far as the claims of creditors go is all nonsense. The newspapers and some
interested persons may think so, but there is small foundation for the
notion.

“The lien of the mortgage
is superior to any and every other. That is the truth of the situation
and one can see therefore how simple the case is in fact. All I need say,
then, is that I will be generous in the settlement of the business if given
half a chance, but if hindrances to a settlement are interposed, I shall
be inclined, in the language of certain circles, to take the pot. The business
must be settled soon or the prior interest will proceed to finish the affair
to its exclusive advantage.”

Secretary Fleming of the
Exposition Company was asked by a NEWS reporter this morning if the Chicago
Wrecking Company had demanded the return of its certified check for $25,000
put up as a security when the company's buildings were sold to it. He replied
that he had heard nothing of any such action, but the attorney of the company,
Mr. Robert F. Schelling, would be the only person who would know about
it in the first instance if such were the case.

Mr. Schelling was seen this
morning and asked the same question. He answered: No demand of any sort
has been made on me, and if made on any other director I should hear of
it speedily. I do not think the Chicago Company has taken any such step.”

December 23:
According to papers submitted in County Court this morning by Attorney
Robert F. Schelling, Sheriff Caldwell's bill for deputies' expenses and
salary in guarding the Pan-American property increased from $649 to $800.50
in a single day. And these expenses, it is stated, were incurred partly
over a judgment for only $85 secured by James E. Carroll against the Exposition
Company.

The situation was somewhat
startling and Judge Emery paid close attention to Mr. Schelling's remarks.
Today was the return day of an order to show cause by the Carroll judgment
should not be dismissed on the ground that payment of the judgment had
been offered by the Exposition Company through Mr. Schelling and refused
by the Sheriff.

Attorney D. N. McNaughton
asked for an adjournment until Thursday afternoon on the ground that neither
Attorneys August Becker or Seward A. Simons, two other interested lawyers,
could appear today. Mr. Schelling objected to an adjournment on the ground
that the bill for Sheriff's expenses was piling up at the rate of $50 a
day.

“My moving papers show that
is done practically on a judgment for $85 that we are ready to pay,” said
Mr. Schelling.

It was shown, however, the
Sheriff was unwilling to cancel the judgment until his fees had been paid.
Then Mr. Schelling mentioned the startling increase referred to above and
said he would consent to an adjournment only on the ground that the judgment
be dismissed on payment of the money. This was agreed to by Mr. McNaughton
and, consequently, there will be a further hearing on Thursday. The dismissal
of the judgment, of course, prevents the sale of any Exposition property
so far as this judgment is concerned.

December 24:
Solicitor General Richards, who stands next to Atty-Gen. Knox in the Department
of Justice, has no doubt that Congress will pay the expenses of the sickness
and death of the late President McKinley.

“President McKinley was assassinated
because he was President,” he said, in discussing the subject, “and naturally
Congress ought to pay any bills incurred while he held that office.

“Mr. McKinley would, perhaps,
never have been shot had he not been the chief executive of the United
States Government, and medical attention therefore being an expense attending
the proceeding, Congress should pay for it, and I think it will.”

December 25: [no paper
published Christmas; story from earlier in the week]

Frederick Thompson and E.S.
Dundy, who were among the most prominent of the Pan-American Exposition
showmen, will leave the Charleston Exposition out of their plans. They
will erect the Trip to the Moon and the Aero-Cycle at Coney Island, the
popular resort of New Yorkers. It is also intended to show the former illusion
at Earl's Court, London, England. Imre Kiralfy saw the entertainment here
and he was so much taken with it that he invited Mr. Thompson to bring
it to England. The two partners are also figuring on two new attractions
for the St. Louis Exposition. It is stated that Mr. Thompson is also negotiating
for the purchase of a theater in New York City.

December 26:
The Chicago House Wrecking Company has become weary with waiting and has
abandoned its negotiations with the Pan-American Exposition Company for
the buildings which composed the big fair. While various creditors were
piling up injunctions, orders, restraints and other legal bric-a-brac to
see who should get the $93,000 coming from the House Wrecking Company -
behold the $93,000 slips from view. It is the old story of two dogs quarreling
over a piece of meat which the cat, in the meantime, made off with.

Frank Harris, the agent of
the company who has conducted all the negotiations with the Exposition
officials, announced Tuesday that relations between his company and the
Exposition Company had been discontinued.

“It's all off,” said he,
“and I shall go home tonight.”

What is the cause of your
abandoning your bid for the buildings? asked the NEWS reporter.

“Because the Exposition Company
can't deliver the goods,” was the reply. “My company has lost heart over
this matter. I don't blame the Exposition Company - it is up against a
stone wall of litigation, but I have lost eight weeks of time and it is
a sickening way of doing business.”

Shall you abandon altogether
the idea of obtaining the buildings? was asked.

“Not necessarily,” replied
Mr. Harris. “I expect that something will be done within the next week
or ten days to clear up the muddle. I expect there will be a resale of
the property and if there is we may bid. We have asked for the $25,000
we deposited on our bid and I expect that we shall not have much difficulty
in getting it.”

December 27:
Story 1 Arrangements are being made by the Park Commissioners which
will result in beautifying many of the schools by the distributions of
flowers and plants among them. The scheme has received the hearty endorsement
of the School Association and will be a cheerful surprise to the many conscientious
teaches who have struggled along so faithfully in their efforts to make
a school room something more than a school room to the children by giving
it a cheery appearance and making it a delightful place in which to work.

Commissioners Ottomar Reinecke,
N. Wolff, James Sweeney and Dr. M.D. Mann, constituting the Botanical Committee,
have charge of the plan which has received the approval of the Park Board.
It would have been impossible to do this if the Park Board had not authorized
Prof. Cowell of the South Park Botanical Gardens to make a visit to the
lesser Antilles for the purpose of procuring plants.

To a SUNDAY NEWS man Commssioner
Reinecke, in explaining the situation, said:

“The Botanical Committee
recently paid a visit to the Botanical Gardens and found the plantation
in very good condition. The larger plants, such as the palms and tree ferns,
have increased wonderfully in size and numbers, so that the new material
from the West Indies, consisting of a large variety of the most beautiful
and interesting orchids, palms and tree ferns is lacking for the necessary
space for its proper development and the question confronts us how the
Botanical Director will find room for them in the near future.

“This will have to be done
and we think an excellent way to do it will be to make an offer to all
our public schools of as many palms as we can spare...The plants not only
will brighten up the school rooms but it is possible they may awaken an
interest in botany among some of the pupils.

“You see, we have received
a large number of rare plants from the West Indies through the effort of
Prof. Cowell and then, too, the foreign exhibitors at the Pan-American
have been generous to us. All this has served to increase our stock with
valuable specimens that it would be foolish not to make the most of. To
get ride of some of our surplus stock by giving them to the public schools
seems to me to be most commendable and I am sure, if we could get an expression
of opinion from the public on the subject, it would favor the project...”

Story 2
W.P. Little, the expert accountant who has been acting as auditor of the
Exposition Company, resigned yesterday and his duties were assigned to
Secretary Fleming. Mr. Little had finished his work, and it is understood
that he has many engagements elsewhere which he will now undertake.

The directors of the Exposition
Company resolved, in their meeting yesterday, to carry out an agreement
made for the transfer of a strip of land to B.C. Rumsey for the purpose
of making a street near Delaware Avenue and Amherst Street. The strip in
question was agreed to be conveyed to Mr. Rumsey as part of the consideration
for the lease of the Rumsey lands for Exposition purposes. The strip is
80 by 400 feet.

It seems to be the consensus
of opinion that the State cannot appropriate the surplus money saved by
the State Commissioners to the uses of the Exposition Company because of
the prohibition of such use of public money as giving it to any private
enterprise or person. The express provision of the State constitution forbids
doing anything for the company by the State now.

December 28:
The Carroll judgment, on which the Exposition buildings were to be sold,
was ordered paid yesterday by the court, without regard to the claim of
the Sheriff for $1000 fees for taking care of the property pending sale.
In consequence of the order of yesterday the sale of the property is postponed
indefinitely. The attorneys on both sides declare that they are winners,
and apparently everybody is satisfied with the situation.

The McEvoy case has been
ordered to a retrial, but Seward A. Simon, the plaintiff's attorney, is
of the opinion that the lien of judgment stands during the new hearing.
R.F. Schelling is of the contrary opinion, and is certain that the Exposition
Company is free to do business as it sees fit.

December
29: The official reports of the money
received by the concessionaires at the Exposition have been made to the Exposition
directors and the figures are now available. Only the gross receipts are to
be had for they are the basis on which the percentages to the management are
computed. It will be noticed that the restaurants led in the procession though
their expenses may have been enough higher than the show places to bring profits
down to something like equality. But even among the show places some made a
great deal more profit than others by reason of their smaller expenses.

The Electric Tower
elevators gathered in $83,212. This fact is not without significance in the
discussion over transferring it to the Front and putting it up there for an
observation point. Many will see in the returns for the season the evidence
of a lasting popularity, as in the instance of the Washington Monument at the
Capitol. Where the share of the Exposition Company falls below 25 percent in
the table given here it is because of rebates for lack of light and such other
things as the concessionaires were entitle to and did not get. The table of
the lessees who received more than $50,000 is given below:

December 30:
Capt. Notter of the Black Rock Station was notified this morning that yesterday
or the day before somebody entered the Honduras Building at the Exposition
grounds, using a duplicate key, and stole a show case, a few wash bowls
and nearly all the plumbing in the building.

Several similar thefts have
occurred at the grounds recently. The police suspect a gang of men have
access to the grounds and are systematically stealing material of this
kind that can be easily disposed of.

December
31: The Lawyers' Club banquet, held Saturday night at the Genesee Hotel,
was attended by about 50 members of the legal fraternity. After the coffee had
been removed, the lawyers settled down to cigars and the election of officers
for the ensuing year. The following ticket was presented and elected without
opposition: President, Wallace Thayer, secretary and treasurer, Thomas H. Noonan,
executive committee, Edward D. Strebel and D. B. Tuttle, membership committee,
Hamilton Ward, Thomas F. Lawrence, Martin Clark, John F. Patterson and Fred
Haller.

Most of the addresses dealt
with the late Midway and the enormous profits of the speakers as stockholders
in the different concessions. The retiring president, Charles F. Bullymore,
gave some of the inside history of the concession “Around the World.” He
said in part:

“Louis Hart was the first
man who interested me in the Midway. He told me that he had also interested
23 other lawyers to the tune of $500 each. It seems that he had been interested
in the subject by the man who contemplated being the manager of the concession.
He had formerly managed a popcorn stand in Omaha, from which it will be
seen that he was thoroughly conversant with Midway concessions and how
to make them profitable.

So we all put up $500 apiece,
giving us a capital of $12,500. The first thing we did was to pay $2500
for the concession and we thought it was cheap at that. Then we went to
Brooklyn and hired Mabel Clark of Bergen Street at $1 a day. We Changed
her name to Tatoo Tanzanyiki, and her place of residence to New Zealand,
but when we came to buy her costume we found there was only $7 left in
the treasury, and she had to be fitted out with a bathing suit that belonged
to one of the stockholders. The most difficult dancer to get was a Russian.
We couldn't find one for the life of us. At last we asked the wife of the
manager, Mrs. Barnett, to change her name to Soapy Sobieska, and she had
no objections. She made a very excellent Russian.”

Robert L. Cox explained his
connection with the Alt Nurnberg concession. He said it had left him so
impoverished that he had had to employ a third rate stenographer ever since.
He continued, “One day a client came into my office and asked if Mr. Cox
was a college graduate, and she replied, ‘I don't know, but I think so.
He as some kind of a title, for everything that comes in here lately is
marked, Robert L. Cox, C.O.D.’”

Hamilton Ward spoke upon
the “Wild Water Sports” concession, and Herbert Bissell related some of
the incidents of his service on the board of directors. Thomas A. Sullivan
told of the “Experiences of an Irish Bull in the Streets of Mexico.” Mr.
Bissell also read Mr. Dooley's sketch on expositions. Francis Rohr entertained
with songs and Samuel B. Botsford with recitations.